Alternate Image: Call Us at 386.760.1774
In this Issue
· Featured Client: Martini's Chophouse
· Social Media Icons on Your Website
· Internet vs. Print Advertising
· Staff Changeover Procedures
· Realtors: FAQ's
· Webinars & Support
· We're on Facebook!
· Suggestion Box
· Recent Software Updates

   Happy Spring! As we are ending the first quarter of a new year we are pleased to announce many new updates to our software. First and foremost is our new Mailer Application, followed by a new HTML cleaner on the Content Management System along with new "skins" for an enhanced appearance in the Hotel Booking Engine. Please read about these new updates as it will affect how you use your website.

ALTERNATE IMAGE IS HIRING!

We are searching for an experienced software programmer to join our team as a full time employee with benefits. Please send us any referrals, good programmers are very hard to find!
View the complete job description.
Featured Client
Welcome to our newest clients for this quarter:

FEATURED CLIENT:

Martini%27s%20Chophouse%20-%20Daytona%20Beach

Martini's Chophouse
     This month's featured client is Martini's Chophouse, a unique Daytona Beach restaurant that has amazing food, drinks, and stylish decor.
      There are no other restaurants in Daytona Beach that can compare to the food, atmosphere, and overall style of Martini's.
Martini's website features a custom photo gallery and Search Engine Optimization by Alternate Image.  Our staff loves to eat here and we think you will too. Check out Martini's Daytona Beach restaurant.

Add Your Social Media Icons to your Website
Social Media IconsDoes your company have a Facebook page or Twitter profile? Do you want people to be able to find you on Linked In? Add your social media icons to your website and give users a fast and easy way to friend, become a fan, or follow you on the Internet. Simply send in a support ticket.  Read More »
Join Us on Facebook!
After years of teaching clients how to setup their own Fan Pages on Facebook, we finally found time to set up our own Facebook Fan Page.  Check out our staff photos and see more about the people who make up Alternate Image.  See Our Fan Page »
Change in Staff? Follow These Steps
Staff Change ChecklistCommon website mistakes that we see all the time occur when a company has had a change in their staff, ecspecially the person managing their website. Follow this checklist to ensure a smooth transition. Read More »
Real Estate Software Applications Explained
Real%20Estate%20Software
What is the difference between World RETS and Snip Apps? Our real estate software applications are now available to real estate agents and brokers who do not host a website with Alternate Image. Add our software applications to your website without changing webmasters   Read More »

Important Updates

NEW Content Management System for Admin Area
 Alternate Image has recently turned on the new Content Management system to the entire admin area, which is compatible with Safari and Firefox - MAC users rejoice!!
Read More »

NEW Mailer Features for Email Blasts
 We've added some great new features as phase one of the new mailer application has just been completed. If you send email blasts (which you should!) please read this important information.
Read More »

Open Hotel Visual Enhancements
 Same program, new look. This will allow for our new features in the booking engine software upgrade. Your software functions the same, however things may be located in different places. We've put together a blog post outlining these changes with screen shots of the new look. Please inform your management staff.
Read More »

Digital Suggestion Box
Tell us what you think!

As we program our software upgrades, it helps to have inside knowledge from the people who use our software everyday.

What would you like to see?
 What upgrades would benefit your business?

Write it down in our forums! We have a forum for Realtors using our World RETS software and another foum for Hoteliers using our Open Hotel booking engine.

VISIT THE FORUM


Customer Support
Customer Support Don't forget to use the Alternate Image Wiki for instant customer support. For all other requests, be sure to send an email to the ticketing system, help@aisupportdesk.com, and not to our individual staff member emails.
The ticketing system is the only way to process website requests - emails to our individual staff members may get burried in our inboxes. Stick to the support system! And you can always call us during office hours for additional customer support.

APRIL WEBINARS
Alternate Image provides FREE online tutorials on everything from using your website software to Social Media and Internet marketing. Webinars last 30-45 minutes and are a great way to learn more about effectively using your website.

Sign up for Alternate Image webinars here.

HOTEL BOOKING ENGINE - PART 1
 Wednesday, April 14 - 2PM
Perfect for new management staff or anyone who needs a refresher course on loading rates, creating discounts, quick closes and modifying room occupancy and special event rates.

HOTEL BOOKING ENGINE - PART 2
 Wednesday, April 21 - 2PM
The second half to our hotel software training - this covers more advanced features, like creating contracted rates for travel agents, promo code tracking pages, and the differences between rate period discounts and general discounts.

SEO TIPS AND TRICKS
 Tuesday, April 27th - 2PM
 This covers basic Search Engine Optimization tips that you can do to help your website rank higher with Google. This short tutorial covers Meta-Tags, Alt-Tags, keywords, and other SEO tips.

As always, these are free and offered as a benefit to our clients. The best way to grow your business online is to know how to use the tools to manage and market your website. 
Sign up for Alternate Image webinars here.
Other News
Internet Advertising to Surpass Print Ads in 2010

For the first time in history Internet advertising will surpass print advertising expenditures in 2010. Wow. This is monumental stuff.



Why is Online advertising becoming so popular?

It seems that everyone is online these days and your company's website is a direct reflection of their brand. Websites used to be optional, as an added form of advertising; now they are vital to success. As a result, companies are now dedicating more of their resources toward increasing and optimizing their online presence to reach their target markets. Just having a website is not enough these days, you have to consistently update your content, optimize for search engines, and maintain your online presence.

Another key statistic I found is that the highest return on investment advertising channel is an advertiser's own website. Point being that you have to spend your marketing dollars in the highest performing marketing channel available - and your company's website should be just that; a high performing channel of advertising.